It’s winter in the Lake District! A wonderful time of year to explore the area with less crowds and still no end of stunning scenery. A clear crisp sunny day with snow on the mountains is a wonder to behold and even if you don’t fancy getting up high in wintry weather there are still plenty of excellent low level experiences and walks to be had. Then, after a good day out exploring, there’s the fabulous local hostelries which always seem more appealing with a cosy roaring fire in winter.
It’s a different perspective out and about in winter with less vegetation meaning the spectacular lakes and mountains are more visible through the bushes and trees. There are also plenty of attractions still open and probably grateful for your support at this time of year. Many attractions are visited by public transport services which are reduced in winter but still with plenty of options. The main Lake District bus routes run all year to the main towns and villages, the winter timetable is here and includes a map of bus services.
One excellent all year round bus service that is one of my favourites is the 516 which you can catch from Kendal, Windermere and Ambleside before it heads off towards beautiful Langdale. In winter there are seven buses per day each way, timetable at foot of blog. Not all visit Kendal or Windermere but they do all travel between Ambleside and Langdale. A fabulous route that takes in some of the Lake Districts finest scenery.
You can catch a train to Windermere railway station before boarding the 516 bus outside the station. From there, the bus route follows the main A591 as it drops down through Windermere town and then through the village of Troutbeck. Troutbeck became famous during the second world war for making Sunderland flying boats, then also after the war when hundreds of traumatised children, liberated from German concentration camps, were housed locally. It is an emotional but fascinating story about the ‘Windermere children’ as they became known.
The bus soon passes Brockhole visitor centre where there are plenty of family activities including tree top adventures. The grounds and nearby Windermere lakeshore make a very pleasant stroll at any time of year. Beyond Brockhole the road soon meets the lakeshore at Low Wood hotel with a bus stop that cheekily claims to be ‘the most scenic in Greta Britain’! But who can argue with that when you take in the stunning views across the water towards Lake District mountains and including the twin peaks of the Langdale Pikes where the bus is heading.
Continue along Windermere lakeshore with more lovely lake views before arriving at Waterhead at the head of the lake. An attractive extension of Ambleside where you can stroll along the prom, through Borrans Park and visit the ruined Roman fort nearby. Next, the bus heads to Ambleside centre where there are plenty of attractions, shops and eateries. It’s hard to believe the town had a vibrant industrial past many centuries ago, with water mills lining Stock Ghyll. Later, the Victorians arrived on public transport and made much of the town we see today. You can explore the town and its fascinating history in my Ambleside audio walking tour which uses GPS to ensure it plays at the right time and you don’t get lost.
From Ambleside the bus heads west on the A593, through some attractive scenery alongside the River Brathay. Next stop is Skelwith Bridge and nearby Skelwith Force which is a relatively small but impressive waterfall forcing a lot of water through a small rocky gap. You could continue walking from here to Elterwater village which is only about a mile away on an excellent footpath alongside the river and then Elterwater lake with surrounding mountain views. The bus from Skelwith Bridge also experiences similar views as it continues to follow the River Brathay and the footpath below. Elterwater lake itself is one of the smaller and lesser known Lake District lakes, being quite well hidden with no public access to most of it.
As the bus crosses a cattle grid to the open land of Elterwater Common, there is another stunning view looking straight up the spectacular Langdale valley with Elterwater village in the foreground and the omnipresent Langdale Pikes in the background. There is a well placed bench near the road where you can enjoy the view. The bus descends into Elterwater, a lovely little village with attractive houses made from locally quarried slate. The local area is still home to some local slate quarrying and also plenty of old slate piles indicating the large scale of historic mining in the area. The quaint looking Britannia Inn in the village centre overlooks the village green and is a great place for refreshments, especially outside in the beer garden on a good day.
Beyond Elterwater the bus continues up the Langdale road, passing the popular Langdale leisure complex and the Wainwrights Inn before arriving at the village of Chapel Stile. Another attractive village with stone houses plus a village store and café. Beyond there the fabulous valley views really open up as the bus trundles up the valley road. There are mountains all around with the Langdale Pikes getting ever closer up ahead. Great Langdale Beck flows down the valley with attractive pastures on either side.
It’s not too long before you approach the end of the valley road where there are two separate stops directly below the Langdale Pikes. Both are popular walking bases with their own hostelries. Firstly is New Dungeon Ghyll with its hotel and Stickle Barn café, then not far beyond is the New Dungeon Ghyll which is the final bus stop where it turns around before heading back down the valley. The mountain views from here are wonderful with some iconic peaks such as Bow Fell, Crinkle Crags, Pike o’Blisco and of course the Langdale Pikes. There are superb walks up all of them, or if you aren’t quite that energetic than you can take a flatter walk along the stunning Mickleden valley or back down the Langdale valley. After a good walk and some lovely local refreshments you can catch the 516 bus back down the valley and appreciate the scenery in the opposite direction. A grand day out for all!
